Do - 335

[Tank-Ace]

Fighters we have that are decent or good interceptors for the 20,000 to 30,000 range:

Bf109K-4
F4U-1
F4U-1A
F4U-1C
F4U-1D
F4U-4
Me163
Me262
P-38J
P-38L
P-47D-11
P-47D-25
P-47D-40
P-47M
P-47N
P-51B
P-51D
Spitfire Mk IX
Spitfire Mk XIV
Ta152H-1

I would drop the F4U-1 and the Me-262 from the list. Acceleration will have dropped to just about nothing at 30k, and thats also an important factor for an interceptor. It needs to be able to quickly reach and maintain combat speeds after climbout.

[Karnak]

I would drop the F4U-1 and the Me-262 from the list. Acceleration will have dropped to just about nothing at 30k, and thats also an important factor for an interceptor. It needs to be able to quickly reach and maintain combat speeds after climbout.

30,000ft is only one extreme in the 20,000ft to 30,000ft range, and the Me262 is quite capable of intercepting bombers across most of that altitude range.  Not as sure about the F4U-1. Possibly the Fw190D-9 should be on the list too.

[SpencAce]

i would love to see this plane get added to the game, wouldn't mind flying a pusher prop plane

[Butcher]

30,000ft is only one extreme in the 20,000ft to 30,000ft range, and the Me262 is quite capable of intercepting bombers across most of that altitude range.  Not as sure about the F4U-1. Possibly the Fw190D-9 should be on the list too.

Dora is a capable interceptor, even for Aces High - except for dealing with the buffs not the escort. The K4 deals with escorts far better then buffs, assuming they don't dive out and run.

If I had to make a mission to bust a Buff raid, 109K4s and Spit14s would tackle fighters while Ta-152/Dora9s take on buffs.

With Aces High sometimes you don't get the luxury of scrambling 3 sectors away, which means  80% of aircraft are written off.

[Tank-Ace]

I feel the 190's just don't work real well for high alt intercepts (solo, that is). Low-mid alt, they're great. But at high alt they just don't have the speed that some other fighters do, which is nessecary if bombers are escorted; really, they top out at 21k or so. And the D9, with its fairly high wingloading, just feels a bit too heavy.

G-14 might be worth of that list (no worse than the P-51D).


But then the G-14, like some others, aren't really top of the class interceptors. IMO, whittle it down to a few of the top interceptors in the game.

IMO:

109K
Spitfire Mk XIV
Ta-152
P-47 M/N
Me-163
F4U-4
Spit 9 (maybe, I've never flown it at alt, and only have charts to go off of)

[EVZ]

given the amount created it would be correct to state it was still in prototype.

There seems to be a documented consensus that the last batch of 11 planes delivered were PRODUCTION contract aircraft ... They may have been on acceptance flights when the combat incidents occured as the proposed (1st) squadron was never formed or assigned. The production contract WAS a captured document and was for the finalised design, NOT prototypes ... production scheduling for 2,000 planes was also recovered, so this wasn't a  "MAYBE" aircraft ...

[SpencAce]

There seems to be a documented consensus that the last batch of 11 planes delivered were PRODUCTION contract aircraft ... They may have been on acceptance flights when the combat incidents occured as the proposed (1st) squadron was never formed or assigned. The production contract WAS a captured document and was for the finalised design, NOT prototypes ... production scheduling for 2,000 planes was also recovered, so this wasn't a  "MAYBE" aircraft ...

oh ya, they were defenitaly gonna put it into mass production eventually, they just didn't have enough time to do so is all

[Butcher]

There seems to be a documented consensus that the last batch of 11 planes delivered were PRODUCTION contract aircraft ... They may have been on acceptance flights when the combat incidents occured as the proposed (1st) squadron was never formed or assigned. The production contract WAS a captured document and was for the finalised design, NOT prototypes ... production scheduling for 2,000 planes was also recovered, so this wasn't a  "MAYBE" aircraft ...

And from Wikipedia you gather, what size was the biggest flight flown by Do-335s? Gruppe? doubtful. Staffel? probably not. At best would be a Schwarm and that's if it can be proven which is highly unlikely due to end of the conflict.

In the dire situation it might of been pressed into action for last minute action, but it was never in operational strength, let alone in Staffel Strength.

If it was in Rotte strength (armed and fueled) I am quite sure someone would of read about it, I know a few spotted prototypes flying around at the end of the war, and I would probably not even attempt to research beyond that due to the lateness of the war, let alone shortage of war materials.

I'd give half a nut to have the 335 in game, although I don't think master card would come collect.

[Karnak]

The Do335 was intended for production and service, but it never fired a shot in anger nor reached a service squadron.

The A7M2 and J7W1 also fall into those categories.

[Butcher]

The Do335 was intended for production and service, but it never fired a shot in anger nor reached a service squadron.

The A7M2 and J7W1 also fall into those categories.

The P-80 was intended for production and never fired a shot in anger, assuming Operation Downfall went through the same argument is said for F8F and F7F.

[Karnak]

The P-80 was intended for production and never fired a shot in anger, assuming Operation Downfall went through the same argument is said for F8F and F7F.

P-80 yes (no combat for it in Korea?), but I'd say the F7F and F8F fall into a different category as they were in squadron service, they just didn't make it into combat.

[EVZ]

oh ya, they were defenitaly gonna put it into mass production eventually, they just didn't have enough time to do so is all

Exactly ... Not an unusual circumstance.

Look at the P-47M - it WAS in the field testing phase as the war ended ... "By the time the bugs were worked out, the war in Europe was nearly over. However, P-47Ms still destroyed 15 enemy aircraft in aerial combat - Twelve were lost in operational crashes (engine problems) with the 56th Group resulting in 11 deaths, two after VE Day, and two (44-21134 on 13 April 1945 and 44-21230 on 16 April 1945) were shot down in combat, both by ground fire."

This is not exactly an extensive combat record ... is it ??? Yet we DO have the plane in the game. Sure HT had the basic modeling already and the graphics were very close ... no complaint ... but I think there IS precedent for considering the DO-335.

[Karnak]

Look at the P-47M - it WAS in the field testing phase as the war ended ... "By the time the bugs were worked out, the war in Europe was nearly over. However, P-47Ms still destroyed 15 enemy aircraft in aerial combat - Twelve were lost in operational crashes (engine problems) with the 56th Group resulting in 11 deaths, two after VE Day, and two (44-21134 on 13 April 1945 and 44-21230 on 16 April 1945) were shot down in combat, both by ground fire."

This is not exactly an extensive combat record ... is it ??? Yet we DO have the plane in the game. Sure HT had the basic modeling already and the graphics were very close ... no complaint ... but I think there IS precedent for considering the DO-335.

The P-47M was not in field testing.  It was in service.  There is no comparison between the P-47M and Do335, regardless of how hard you try to manufacture one.  There is simply no aircraft in AH, not the Ta152, not the Me163 and not the P-47M that was still in prototype and had not gone to squadron service.

[AirLynx]

The Do335 was intended for production and service, but it never fired a shot in anger nor reached a service squadron.

The A7M2 and J7W1 also fall into those categories.

The P-80 was intended for production and never fired a shot in anger, assuming Operation Downfall went through the same argument is said for F8F and F7F.

Just add them all!

[EVZ]

The P-47M was not in field testing.  It was in service.  There is no comparison between the P-47M and Do335, regardless of how hard you try to manufacture one.  There is simply no aircraft in AH, not the Ta152, not the Me163 and not the P-47M that was still in prototype and had not gone to squadron service.

It seems the war dept disagrees with you ... The field testing program vitally influenced the development and deployment of the P-47N ... and resulted in the cancellation of the contract for the M. Only 130 of them were built and they spent most of their WWII service grounded with engine problems.

I have not compared the P-47 to the Do 335, only offered it as a precedent for considering the 335 for AH. They have few similarities, the P-47M WAS fast, it was HOPED it would be a worthy opponent for the 262 ... But it's design was dated while the 335 incorporated NEW CONCEPTS and Mfg Techniques.